{"title":"When young people age out of care: Foster care in a life course and network perspective","authors":"Inger Oterholm, Ingrid Höjer","doi":"10.1111/cfs.13111","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research highlights the importance of supportive relations for young people leaving care. Foster carers give an important contribution to such support. However, there is less knowledge about foster carers' views about the relational contact after the young person has aged out of care. This article explores foster carers' perspectives building on interviews with foster carers from both Norway and Sweden about their views on relational continuity. Life course and network theory are used as theoretical lenses to understand the opportunities and challenges for further contact both with cares and extended foster family. Findings suggest that foster carers have a lifelong perspective, still the relationship can be uncertain and some result in breaks. Viewed from a life course perspective, the relationships can also be renewed, and foster carers and other members of the foster family seem to be important sources of support for young people with a care background.</p>","PeriodicalId":10025,"journal":{"name":"Child & Family Social Work","volume":"29 2","pages":"538-547"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cfs.13111","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child & Family Social Work","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cfs.13111","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Research highlights the importance of supportive relations for young people leaving care. Foster carers give an important contribution to such support. However, there is less knowledge about foster carers' views about the relational contact after the young person has aged out of care. This article explores foster carers' perspectives building on interviews with foster carers from both Norway and Sweden about their views on relational continuity. Life course and network theory are used as theoretical lenses to understand the opportunities and challenges for further contact both with cares and extended foster family. Findings suggest that foster carers have a lifelong perspective, still the relationship can be uncertain and some result in breaks. Viewed from a life course perspective, the relationships can also be renewed, and foster carers and other members of the foster family seem to be important sources of support for young people with a care background.
期刊介绍:
Child and Family Social Work provides a forum where researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and managers in the field of child and family social work exchange knowledge, increase understanding and develop notions of good practice. In its promotion of research and practice, which is both disciplined and articulate, the Journal is dedicated to advancing the wellbeing and welfare of children and their families throughout the world. Child and Family Social Work publishes original and distinguished contributions on matters of research, theory, policy and practice in the field of social work with children and their families. The Journal gives international definition to the discipline and practice of child and family social work.